Engine start control device and engine start control method

The present invention relates to an engine start control device and an engine start control method for starting an engine by operating an engine start switch.

In the mechanism for unlocking the steering lock mechanism with an electric actuator, there is known a technique for unlocking the door and unlocking the steering lock mechanism when the ID of the portable device and the ID registered in the vehicle match. (See Patent Document 1). According to this conventional technique, the steering lock mechanism is unlocked before the engine start operation is performed by the ignition switch, so that the time from the engine start operation to the engine start is shortened.

<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-287207</text></patcit>

<p> However, in the conventional technique, when the user accidentally unlocks the door outside the vehicle, the steering lock mechanism is also unlocked at the same time, which is not preferable in terms of theft prevention.</p>

<p> According to the engine start control device and the engine start control method according to the present invention, when the engine start switch is operated, the ID of the portable device is authenticated, and when the ID authentication is affirmed, the engine is started and the engine is started. When it is determined, the steering lock is unlocked.</p>

<p> According to the engine start control device and the engine start control method according to the present invention, the steering lock is unlocked after the engine is started, so that the time from the operation of the engine start switch to the start of the engine is shortened and the anti-theft performance is achieved. Can be retained.</p>

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an engine start control device according to the present invention. The engine start switch 10 is a push button type switch operated by an occupant when starting an engine (not shown), and when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the engine start control is started. The engine start switch 10 is also used when shifting each power position, as will be described later. The brake switch 15 turns on when a brake (not shown) is stepped on.

The power position control unit (hereinafter referred to as P-POS-C / U) 20 includes a transmission circuit 21, a reception circuit 22, a CPU 23, a ROM 24, a timer 25, and a cumulative timer 26. The transmission circuit 21 and the reception circuit 22 exchange signals with the transmission circuit 103 and the reception circuit 104 included in the portable key (vehicle key) 100. The CPU 23 performs ID verification with the mobile key 100 and controls the power supply position including engine start control. Details of engine start control and power position control will be described later. The ID of the mobile key is registered in advance in the ROM 24. The door is locked / unlocked using the ID stored in the mobile key 100 and the ID stored in the ROM 24 of the P-POS-C / U20, but a detailed explanation is omitted.

The timer 25 measures the duration of engine cranking. The cumulative timer 26 measures the cumulative duration of cranking.

The PDU (Power Distribution Unit) 30 includes switches SW1 to SW4 for changing the power position. One end of each switch SW1 to SW4 is connected to the battery, and the switch is turned on / off based on the command from P-POS-C / U20. The other end of the switch SW1 is connected to the ACC load 31, and when the switch SW1 is turned on, power is supplied to the ACC load 31. The ACC load 31 is, for example, audio (not shown).

The other end of the switch SW2 is connected to the IGN load 32, and when the switch SW2 is turned on, power is supplied to the IGN load 32. The IGN load 32 is, for example, an ignition device (not shown). The other end of the switch SW3 is connected to the electric steering column lock (hereinafter referred to as ESCL) 40. The ESCL40 locks / unlocks the steering (not shown). The state switch 90 is a switch that turns on / off based on the lock / unlock state of the steering wheel.

The motor control unit (MC / U) 50 includes a switch SW5 and a starter motor 51. One end of the switch SW5 is connected to the switch SW4, and the other end is connected to the starter motor 51. The switch SW5 is turned on when an on command signal is output from the P-POS-C / U20 and a signal indicating that the shift position is in the P or N position is output from the AT control unit 60 described later. To do. When the switches SW4 and SW5 are turned on, power is supplied to the starter motor 51 to drive the starter motor 51. As a result, cranking is started and the engine is started.

The AT control unit 60 controls an automatic transmission (hereinafter referred to as AT). The shift position sensor 61 detects the shift position and outputs it to the AT control unit 60.

The engine control unit 70 controls the engine and sends a signal indicating that the engine is starting (cranking) or a signal indicating that the engine is in a fully exploded state P-POS-C / Output to U20. The engine speed sensor 71 detects the engine speed. The vehicle speed sensor 81 detects the speed of the vehicle. The detected vehicle speed is output to the P-POS-C / U20 via the meter control unit 80. The P-POS-C / U20, AT control unit 60, engine control unit 70, and meter control unit 80 are each connected by a CAN communication line.

Based on the shift lock command from P-POS-C / U20, the shift lock control unit (shift lock C / U) 110 shift locks the shift lever so that it cannot move from the parking (P) position, and shifts. The shift lock is released based on the unlock command. The conditions under which the P-POS-C / U20 outputs a shift lock command and a shift lock release command to the shift lock C / U 110 will be described later.

In the engine start control device of one embodiment, when the engine start switch 10 is pressed by the driver, the engine start control is started. In the conventional engine start control device, each power supply position is controlled based on the rotation position of the ignition key, but in the engine start control device in one embodiment, LOCK, OFF, ACC, IGN, ST, and RUN are used. The P-POS-C / U20 controls the transition to each position.

LOCK is a state in which the steering is locked and all switches SW1 to SW5 are turned off and power is not supplied. OFF is a state in which the steering wheel is unlocked and power is not supplied. ACC is a state in which the steering is unlocked and the switch SW1 is turned on to supply power to the ACC load 31.

IGN is a state in which the steering is unlocked and switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on to supply power to the ACC load 31 and the IGN load 32. The ST is a state in which the steering is unlocked and the switches SW2, SW4 and SW5 are turned on to supply power to the IGN load 32 and the starter motor 51. That is, when the power supply position is ST, cranking is performed. RUN is a complete explosion state indicating that the steering is unlocked, the switches SW1, SW2 and SW4 are on, and the engine has started.

Figure 2 shows the LOCK, OFF, ACC, IGN, ST, and RUN positions when the engine start switch 10 is pressed when the shift positions are at positions other than P, N, and P and N, respectively. It is a figure which shows the transition state of.

&lt;Shift position = P and the brake is not stepped on&gt; When the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the shift position is in the P position and the brake is not stepped on, the power supply position is set to LOCK. To move to ACC. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed without the brake being stepped on while the power position is in ACC, the power position shifts to IGN. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed without the brake being applied while the power position is in IGN or RUN, the power position shifts to LOCK.

&lt;Shift position = P and the brake is depressed&gt; When the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the shift position is in the P position and the brake is depressed, the power position is LOCKed. Regardless of whether it is in the OFF, ACC, or IGN position, it shifts to ST and cranking is performed. When the power supply position is ST and the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed, the power supply position shifts to IGN. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed while the power supply position is in RUN, the power supply position shifts to LOCK.

&lt;Shift position = N and the brake is not stepped on&gt; When the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the shift position is in the N position and the brake is not stepped on, the power supply position is set to LOCK. To move to ACC. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed without the brake being stepped on while the power position is in ACC, the power position shifts to IGN. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed without the brake being stepped on while the power position is in IGN, the power position shifts to ACC. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed without the brake being stepped on while the power supply position is in RUN, the power supply position shifts to ACC.

&lt;Shift position = N and the brake is depressed&gt; When the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the shift position is in the N position and the brake is depressed, the power position is LOCKed. Regardless of whether it is in the OFF, ACC, or IGN position, it shifts to ST and cranking is performed. When the power supply position is ST and the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed, the power supply position shifts to IGN. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed while the power supply position is in RUN, the power supply position shifts to ACC.

&lt;The shift position is in a position other than P and N and the brake is not applied&gt; The engine start switch 10 is pressed when the shift position is in a position other than P and N and the brake is not applied. Then, the power supply position at the ACC position shifts to the IGN, and the power supply position at the IGN position shifts to the ACC. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed without the brake being stepped on while the power supply position is in RUN, the power supply position shifts to ACC.

&lt;The shift position is in a position other than P and N and the brake is depressed&gt; The engine start switch 10 is pressed while the shift position is in a position other than P and N and the brake is depressed. Then, the power supply position at the ACC position shifts to IGN. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed while the power position is in IGN, the power position is held in the IGN position without shifting. If the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed while the power supply position is in RUN, the power supply position shifts to ACC.

3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the contents of the engine start process performed by the engine start control device according to the embodiment. Here, the control contents from the state where the shift position is P and the power supply position to the LOCK position to the time when the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed to start the engine will be described. The processing starting from step S10 is performed by CPU23 of P-POS-C / U20.

In step S10, it is determined whether or not the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed. When the signal that the brake switch 15 is turned on is input and the signal indicating that the engine start switch 10 is pressed is input, it is determined that the engine start switch 10 is pressed while the brake is depressed. , Proceed to step S20, otherwise wait in step S10.

In step S20, ID verification is performed with the mobile key 100. First, the CPU 23 of the P-POS-C / U20 requests the transmission of the ID to the mobile key 100 via the transmission circuit 21, and the mobile key 100 that receives this request in the reception circuit 104 passes through the transmission circuit 103. , Send a unique ID for each 100 mobile keys. The receiving circuit 22 of the P-POS-C / U20 receives the ID transmitted from the mobile key 100. The CPU 23 performs ID verification by determining whether the ID received by the receiving circuit 22 and the ID stored in advance in the ROM 24 match. When the ID verification of the mobile key 100 is performed, the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S30, as a result of the ID collation performed in step S20, it is determined whether or not the IDs match. If it is determined that the IDs match, the process proceeds to step S40, and if it is determined that the IDs do not match, the process returns to step S10. In step S40, it is determined whether or not the steering is locked based on the signal input from the state switch 90. If it is determined that the steering is locked, the process proceeds to step S50, and if it is determined that the steering is unlocked, the process returns to step S10.

In step S50, it is determined whether or not the shift position detected by the shift position sensor 61 is P. If it is determined that the shift position is P, the process proceeds to step S60, and if it is determined that the shift position is in a position other than P, the process returns to step S10.

In step S60, switch SW1 in PDU30 is turned on. As a result, power is supplied to the ACC load 31. The P-POS-C / U20 confirms that the power supply position has shifted to the ACC by receiving a signal from the PDU 30 indicating that a current is flowing through the ACC load 31. After confirming that the power position has moved to ACC, the process proceeds to step S70.

In step S70, switch SW2 in PDU30 is turned on. This supplies power to the IGN load 32. The P-POS-C / U20 confirms that the power supply position has shifted to the IGN by receiving a signal from the PDU 30 indicating that a current is flowing through the IGN load 32. After confirming that the power position has moved to IGN, the process proceeds to step S80.

In step S80, switch SW1 in PDU30 is turned off. When a signal indicating that no current is flowing through the ACC load 31 is received from the PDU 30 after the switch SW1 is turned off, the process proceeds to step S90. In step S90, the ON command signal of the switch SW5 is transmitted to the MC / U50. As described above, the switch SW5 is turned on when the shift position is P or N and the switch on command signal is input from the P-POS-C / U20. Since it is confirmed that the shift position is P in the determination of step S50, the switch SW5 is turned on in step S90.

In step S100 following step S90, switch SW4 in PDU30 is turned on. As a result, the power supply position shifts to ST, current flows through the starter motor 51, and engine cranking is started. When the cranking is started, the engine control unit 70 sends a signal to the P-POS-C / U20 indicating that the engine is being cranked.

In step S110 following step S100, the engine speed is detected by the engine speed sensor 71. When the engine speed is input to the P-POS-C / U20 via the engine control unit 70, the process proceeds to step S120. In step S120, it is determined whether or not the engine has started, that is, whether or not the power supply position has shifted to RUN, based on the engine speed detected in step S110. If it is determined that the engine speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed and the engine has started, the process proceeds to step S130, and if it is determined that the engine has not started, the process returns to step S110.

In step S130 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the switch SW3 in the PDU 30 is turned on. This will supply power to the ESCL40. In step S140 following step S130, a steering unlock request signal is transmitted to the ESCL40. Upon receiving the unlock request signal, the ESCL40 releases (unlocks) the steering lock.

In step S150 following step S140, it is determined whether or not a signal indicating that the steering unlock control has been executed has been received from the ESCL40. If it is determined that the signal indicating that the unlock control has been executed has been received, the process proceeds to step S160, and if it is determined that the signal has not been received, the process waits in step S150 until it is received. In step S160, it is determined whether or not the steering lock is unlocked based on the signal input from the state switch 90. If it is determined that the steering lock is unlocked, the process proceeds to step S180, and if it is determined that the steering lock is not unlocked, the process proceeds to step S170.

In step S170, a command (shift lock command) for prohibiting the movement of the shift position is sent to the shift lock C / U110. Upon receiving this command, the shift lock C / U110 fixes the shift position at the P position so that the shift position does not move. This prevents the driver from moving the shift lever from the P position to a position other than the P position such as the R position or the D position.

In step S180, which proceeds after determining that the steering lock is unlocked, a command for permitting the movement of the shift position is sent to the shift lock C / U110. Upon receiving this command, the shift lock C / U110 releases the shift lock. This allows the driver to move the shift lever from the P position. In step S190 following step S180, switch SW3 in PDU30 is turned off. As a result, the power supply to the ESCL40 is cut off. When the switch SW3 is turned off, the process proceeds to step S200.

In step S200, switch SW4 in PDU30 is turned off and the process proceeds to step S210. In step S210, the OFF command signal of the switch SW5 is transmitted to the MC / U50. This turns off the switch SW5. When the off command signal of the switch SW5 is transmitted, the process proceeds to step S220. In step S220, the switch SW1 in the PDU 30 is turned on to end the processing at engine start.

According to the engine start control device in one embodiment, when the engine start switch 10 is operated, the process of starting the engine is performed after the ID authentication of the mobile key 100 is performed, and when it is determined that the engine has started, the steering is performed. Since the lock is unlocked, the engine can be started while maintaining the anti-theft performance. That is, since the engine start operation is performed by the driver and the steering lock is unlocked after the engine is started, the steering lock is also unlocked when the driver accidentally unlocks the door outside the vehicle as in the conventional technology. It can be prevented from being locked.

Also, since the steering lock is unlocked after it is determined that the engine has started, the engine start switch is different from the method of unlocking the steering lock after the engine start switch 10 is pressed and then starting the engine. It is possible to shorten the time from the operation to the start of the engine. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling a sense of discomfort that it takes time from pressing the engine start switch 10 until the engine actually starts.

Further, in the engine start control device of one embodiment, even if it is determined that the engine has started, if the steering lock is not unlocked, the shift position is fixed at the parking (P) position and moved. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from starting running in a state where the steering lock is not unlocked.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the engine start control device of one embodiment, if the steering lock is not unlocked after the engine start confirmation, the shift position is prohibited from moving, but the shift position is prohibited even though the steering is locked. The engine may be stopped when it detects that the engine has moved to a position other than P.

Further, although the engine start switch 10 is a push button type switch, another type of switch may be used. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the engine start control device according to the present invention is applied to an AT vehicle has been described, but it can also be applied to a CVT vehicle or an MT vehicle.

The correspondence between the components of the claims and the components of the embodiment is as follows. That is, P-POS-C / U20 is the ID authentication means, P-POS-C / U20, switch SW4, switch SW5 and starter motor 51 are the engine starting means, P-POS-C / U20 and the engine speed sensor. 71 constitutes the engine start determination means, ESCL40 constitutes the steering lock control means, the shift position sensor 61 constitutes the shift position detection means, the state switch 90 constitutes the steering lock state determination means, and the shift lock control unit 110 constitutes the shift lock means. To do. It should be noted that each component is not limited to the above configuration as long as the characteristic functions of the present invention are not impaired.

<figref num="1">The figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the engine start control device by this invention.</figref><figref num="2">, When the shift position is in a position other than P, N, and P, N, the transition state to each position of LOCK, OFF, ACC, IGN, ST, RUN when the engine start switch is pressed Figure shown</figref><figref num="3">A flowchart showing the contents of processing performed at the time of engine start by the engine start control device in one embodiment.</figref><figref num="4">A flowchart showing the processing performed following the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.</figref>

Code description

10 ... engine start switch, 15 ... brake switch, 20 ... P-POS-C / U, 23 ... CPU, 24 ... ROM, 21 ... transmit circuit, 22 ... Receive circuit, 25 ... timer, 26 ... cumulative timer, 30 ... PDU, 31 ... ACC load, 32 ... IGN load, 40 ... electric steering column lock, 50 ... MC / U, 51 ... Starter motor, 60 ... AT control unit, 61 ... Shift position sensor, 70 ... Engine control unit, 71 ... Engine speed sensor, 80 ... Meter control unit , 81 ... vehicle speed sensor, 90 ... status switch, 100 ... portable key, 101 ... CPU, 102 ... ROM, 103 ... transmit circuit, 104 ... receive circuit, SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5 ... switch, 110 ... shift lock control unit